Evan Thomas Wins International Water Association Career Award for Global Water Impact
Evan Thomas, a professor and director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience at the ÀϾÅÆ·²è, has been awarded a career honor from the International Water Association for work that has reshaped how safe drinking water is delivered in some of the world most vulnerable regions.
Evan Thomas receiving the IWA Water and Development Research Award.Ìý
Dr. Thomas received the IWA Water and Development Research Award on December 8, 2025, at the association congress in Bangkok, Thailand. The award recognizes long-term contributions that combine research and practice to produce measurable improvements in water access in low- and middle-income countries.
Over the past two decades, Dr. Thomas has focused on a problem that has plagued global water initiatives for generations: why so many systems fail after they are built. His work has pushed beyond the construction of pipes and pumps to emphasize water as an ongoing public service—one that depends on sustainable financing, continuous monitoring and clear accountability.
Among his most cited contributions are efforts to link rural water delivery to carbon finance mechanisms and to deploy real-time water quality monitoring technologies. Those approaches have helped expand access to safe drinking water, improve transparency in service delivery and strengthen the connection between water security, public health and climate resilience.
The IWA Water and Development Awards are presented every two years and are judged by an international panel of experts. In 2025, the association also honored Meera Mehta of CEPT University in India and Jay Bhagwan of South Africa Water Research Commission with awards for practice, recognizing their leadership in water governance and service delivery.
At the ÀϾÅÆ·²è, Dr. Thomas and the Mortenson Center have developed a model that challenges conventional development approaches. Rather than treating infrastructure as the end goal, the center integrates performance-based financing with rigorous data systems that track whether water services are actually working over time.
Through partnerships with organizations including the Millennium Water Alliance, Helvetas, the Eastern Congo Initiative, Virridy and LifeStraw, the Mortenson Center currently supports drinking water services for more than one million people in Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar.